Eleven die in Dutch airport fire

At least 11 people were killed overnight in a fire at a building housing cells for people awaiting expulsion from The Netherlands at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, according to a new toll from the Dutch news agency ANP, quoting the justice ministry.

Earlier the police had put the toll at 10 dead.

Fifteen other people, including fire officers, were injured and taken to hospital following the fire, a police spokesperson at Schiphol airport, Rob Stenakker, said.

The fire, whose cause has not yet been identified, broke out at about midnight local time and was brought under control about four hours later, reports said.

The cells at Schiphol airport are mainly used to lock up people carrying drugs for traffickers and those who have been refused entry to The Netherlands.

About 350 people were in detention in the cells late on Wednesday when the fire broke out, including 43 in the part of the building affected.

Some of the detainees were able to return to the cells, while others were transferred to a nearby prison.—AFP